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Monday, August 8, 2011

Thai Salmon Salad


I found this on allrecipes.com I added some ingredients to make it taste like my favorite Thai Restaurant. This serves six. I use a head of iceberg and divide it in wedges and pour the salad on top. My husband likes to make lettuce wraps out of this. Thai peppers are hot, if you are used to medium salsa.

Ingredients


4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 Thai chiles, chopped
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet
1 cup of cucumber, seeded and sliced

Directions
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, sliced into wedges
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 head iceberg lettuce divided into wedges.



1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.Prepare the dressing by combining the fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and chopped chiles in a small bowl; set aside.
3.Place the salmon filet on a baking tray, and rub olive oil over. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until easily flaked. Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
4.Place salmon filet into a big bowl; use fork to break salmon meat into big chunks. Add onion, tomato cilantro, and basil; pour dressing over, and toss lightly until well mixed.
5.Place mixture on lettuce leaves, and serve immediately.



Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Massaman Black Bean Curry


I was inspired by my favorite Thai Restaurant. They make delicious massaman curry.
A flavorful way to enjoy vegetables.


Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked black beans
1 sweet potato, cut into bite size pieces
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1 tomato, cut into wedges
3 T of hot red curry paste
1 hot chili pepper, chopped
2 T brown sugar
2 T of fish sauce, divided
1 T of tamarind paste
1 can of coconut milk
1T coconut oil.
2T of finely chopped peanuts
1T cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1T of canola oil
chopped peanuts for garnish
chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions
Steam the sweet potato until fork tender, about 7 minutes. Heat canola oil in a medium sauce pan. Add the onion wedges, cumin and gently stir to brown, 3 minutes. Add 1T of fish sauce and 1 T of water, cover and turn off the heat. Let pan stay on the burner with the heat off. This will simmer the onion. Have everything prepared and ready to add to the pan.
Add coconut oil to large sauce pan let heat up. Add the chopped peppers and stir. Add the curry paste, 2T of finely chopped peanuts, tamarind paste, brown sugar, the other 1 T of fish sauce to the pan over medium high heat for 2 min. Stir to combine flavors. If the mixture seems like it's burning, lower the heat. Add the coconut milk gradually and stir to combine for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, onion, sweet potato, and black beans, stirring each time you add one of the ingredients. The mixture should be bubbling. You then lower the heat to simmer the mixture for 3-5 minutes. top with remaining chopped peanuts and chopped cilantro.

Sever with Brown Jasmine Rice.

Perfect Black Beans


That's right, these beans came out perfect. The essential tool for these perfect beans is a crock pot. It is a two day process for plump, and juicy beans.

1 lb. package of Goya dried black beans
8 cups of water

Directions

Open package and place the beans in a colander. Rinse with water. Pick through the beans to remove foreign materials if any. Place the beans in a large bowl and add 8 cups of water. Allow the beans to soak for 8 hours. Then, drain the beans and rinse with water. Add the beans to the crock pot and cover with water. Cook the beans on low for 10 hours. After the beans are cooked, you then add desired seasoning. Save the bean juice for refried beans.

You have perfect plump beans to add to soup, cooked rice, salads.

To make refried beans you put olive oil in a pan, add beans and some of the bean juice and mash the beans while you cook them.